The bear
by theTEACUPzREVENGE
Summary: It is the summer right after their Seventh year and Hermione learns that she's from a dark pureblooded family. In addition, there's this man in a bear costume that seems to appear everywhere... Draco/Hermione. Read&Review please.
1. The News

Note: The war is over and Voldemort&Dumbledore are dead. It is the summer right after their Seventh year and Hermione learns something shocking. & What's with the bear? HG/DM

* * *

The music blasted at top volume and everybody was having a blast. Harry was dancing with Ginny and Ron was with Hermione. There was butt-shaking all throughout the Granger living room.

There were no more worries now that Voldemort had been defeated and although many loved ones had died life simply moves on.

"Happy birthday Hermione." Ron leaned over and kissed her cheek before beaming at her.

"Open my present now Hermione!" shouted a slightly tipsy Ginny. Her cheeks were flushed and she was leaning on Harry for support.

Hermione obliged and opened the pink box to find a beautiful pair of magical socks- they were enchanted to never stink and so could be worn for consecutive days without wash.

"Thanks Ginny!" Hermione went and gave her best female friend a small hug.

Thirty minutes of present-opening later Hermione came across a package with no name. It was small and felt very light. "Who sent this?" Hermione addressed to everyone in the room. Luna looked at Neville and Neville looked at Dean. Nobody knew.

Opening it up, she found the most beautiful heart pendant on platinum chain she had ever seen. She faced Ron and was prepared to thoroughly thank him when she saw the puzzlement on his face. It wasn't him…

"Blimey Hermione. Looks like you got yourself a secret admirer" quipped Harry.

She was deep in thought for just a short while as Mr. and Mrs. Granger decided to show themselves.

"Sweetie, we need to talk for a bit." Both parents had a sad and faraway look in their eyes.

* * *

"What did you just say?" Hermione was in shock.

"You're pureblooded Hermione and we're not your parents." Mr. Granger whispered.

"Where are my real parents then?" Hermione asked with a blank look on her face.

"We don't know. The Menos went into hiding so very long ago. We lost contact with them when you were five."

"Then why tell me this now? Why?" Hermione demanded with hot tears threatening to slip out.

"You're 18 and that makes you an adult. We felt you deserved to know the truth." Mrs. Granger replied softly.

"Well you thought wrong." With that Hermione turned and walked out.

* * *

Thoughts were coursing through her head. 'How could my parents lie to me like that? Wait no, they're not my parents. They're just liars. And my real parents are even worse. Who are they to abandon me? I need to know. I just need to know why.' Fingering her new necklace around her neck, she made a rash and un-Hermione-like decision: She decided she would find her parents and figure out the truth.

With that last thought in mind, she grabbed her handy Fitall bag and tossed all her possessions into the tiny bottomless bag. She then snuck over to the kitchen and tossed in loaves of bread and gallons of water. Then with a final survey of the house, she turned and left her home of 18 years.

* * *

Immediately she regretted leaving the house at so late a time. Where would she sleep for the night? Turning around the corner with her face downturned, she walked straight into a very tall man. Or maybe she was just short at 5'3.

He looked to be about 20 years old and friendly enough.

"Hello Hermione."

Her eyes enlarged at his words. 'How does he know my name?'

"Hi. You are…?" Hermione inquired.

"I'm Kev. You don't remember me at all do you?" His aura seemed to be a bit disheartened but he still wore a small smile on his face.

"Not really. Sorry."

"Well, no matter. I'll be on my way now. Good night." With a tip of his hat he left her there stunned.

'Looks like I have to do something about my appearance. I can't let any more people recognize me. Especially not people I know. It'll lead to unwanted questioning.'

With a flick of her wand, her wavy auburn hair became straight black with purple highlights. Another flick and her height increased by five inches. 'That should be good enough for now.'

Continuing on her way, she thought about her plan of action. How would she find these Menos and what would she do once she found them?

She figured she'd visit the library first thing tomorrow morning to conduct her research on the Menos. For now she needed to find an apartment to stay in.

It took her only two hours to find an appropriate lodging for the time being. It was cozy and the place came with a wall of bookshelves.

She took out her mattress from the Fitall bag and fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

Stretching her limbs she got out of bed. After doing her daily morning routines she put on a green sweater and black skirt. Then she headed to the library. It was time to begin her plans.

Along the way she was deeply immersed in thought and did not see the giant brown bear.

* * *

Author's note: Hi everyone. This is my first Harry Potter fanfic and I just hope you guys like it. This first chapter is kind of ugh but I promise it gets better and there'll be plenty of draco/hermione moments - my favorite. hehe. Love ya all. Read&Review please. xD


	2. The bear

They collided and fliers were sent flying in all directions.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry" Hermione rushed to pick up all the fliers and returned then to the bear.

The bear simply remained quiet.

"You must be one of those high school students suckered into wearing a bear costume in the hot summer eh? I sympathize with you but I must say my life is more depressing. Care to hear about it bear?"

The bear simply remained quiet. Hermione took it as a cue to go on.

"So just yesterday I was having the time of my life and then my "parents" told me I'm not their child and that my real parents left me when I was a baby. Then they go on to say I'm an adult and that I should know. Isn't that ridiculous bear? I mean, some secrets should remain a secret. Otherwise there'd be no peace in this world. Knowing the truth hurts sometimes and I hate knowing what I know now. And what's up with Menos? That's a hideous name and I refuse to accept this."

At the sound of Menos, the bear seemed to twitch a bit. However, Hermione did not notice. She was too busy pouring her heart out to a random bear.

"I mean, now that I'm set on finding these Menos people, what if it turns out they've been dead for a while. Then I would be here wasting time finding dead people. Even worse, what if they hate me and tell me that they really did mean to abandon me? I wouldn't be able to take that…"

Hermione went on for another ten minutes or so and the bear simply remained quiet. He was honestly a very good audience.

"I feel so much better now bear. Thank you for listening." Hermione turned to walk away when a thought went through her. She turned around and asked "By the way, I didn't quite catch your name bear" but the bear was nowhere to be seen. Hermione paused for a bit but then shrugged and went on her way to the library.

…..

'Holy bludgers," was what course through Hermione's mind as she read page after page about the Menos. Apparently she was from a long line of powerful dark witches and wizards that went as far back as the Blacks. Not one witch or wizard had ever strayed from the dark side.

Hermione understood now why her parents had to go into hiding all those years ago when the dark lord lost control of the world. The Menos were immense supporters of the Dark Lord and always had been. However, they had not showed up again when the Dark Lord reappeared. That puzzled Hermione greatly. 'They're most likely dead by now. I just wish there was some way to be certain…"

She continued reading about her family for another hour before stumbling on useful information. No the book had no mention of a current address but it did mention a close affinity between the Malfoys and the Menos.

With that in mind, Hermione's thoughts wandered to the youngest Malfoy and wondered whether he would be willing to tell her anything regarding the Menos. After the war, everyone alive had become a lot closer except for Draco. He was still bitter regarding his father's untimely death and refused to talk to anyone.

News had it though that Narcissa had decided to start over with Draco in muggle London. 'He must have loved that decision,' Hermione snickered. Draco the ultimate muggle-hater living in the muggle world. It was funny just thinking of it.

Hermione was once again lost in thought as she walked back to her apartment and before she knew it, she had collided with a soft body.

"Oof" she grunted as she landed on her bottom. When she looked up she realized she had bumped into the bear once again.

"You!" she exclaimed happily. For some odd reason she felt very merry to see the bear again.

"What's up bear?" She really wanted to hear the bear speak but he remained silent. Instead, he stretched out a paw to help Hermione up. When she was up she thought she saw the bear staring at her but she classified that thought as odd and threw it in the garbage. The bear slowly turned to leave but Hermione was faster. She grabbed the bear paw and asked "want to walk me home bear?"

The bear stopped moving and turned slowly towards Hermione. With a slight nod they were off. Hermione went on and on about the most random subjects and the bear occasionally nodded.

They were crossing the intersection two blocks from her house when an irrational car ran straight towards them. Hermione was turned the other direction talking to the bear but the bear saw it. With a strong yank, he pulled her backwards safely into his chest.

Hermione blinked twice but didn't care to move away from the furry bear. She was breathing hard at the near-accident. "Thank you bear" she whispered softly for just the bear to hear. It was really bugging her now that she didn't even know the bear's name but she shoved the thought away. It made it mysterious and fun.

They continued their walk to Hermione's apartment in silence and when they finally arrived Hermione was tickled by the idea of removing the bear's head. She made a move to yank the head off but the bear was quicker. It ducked and smacked Hermione on the head playfully. Hermione was enraged that he saw through her and tried again to pull off the bear head. He was super fast for a bear and evaded her moves easily. Finally, she gave up trying to find out who he was. She bid the bear goodnight and walked into her apartment. What she didn't expect was seeing Harry and Ron sitting on her bed...


	3. Encounter with Narcissa

Hermione smiled nervously. "Hi guys."

All she received were two very stern looks. "How could you just leave without telling us anything? I thought we were your best friends."

Hermione looked between Ron and Harry. Finally she sighed and said, "I have business to take care of ok?"

"Business that requires you to leave your house and your friends? What kind of business is that pray tell?"

"How did you find me anyways."

"Simple location spell. But don't change the subject! What business are you up to Hermione?" Harry demanded. He cared deeply for his best friend and wanted nothing more than to watch over her but she was being difficult.

After a few minutes of silence Ron stepped forward and crossly accused Hermione of not trusting them. Then he made a move to storm out of the room but Hermione stopped him. "Wait. I'll tell you guys but just let me think for a moment."

'How much should she let them know? Should she let them know her family tradition was following the dark side? What did it even matter anymore though? The Dark Lord was dead and he was not coming back. Plus, she could use her friends' support and aid.'

After a pregnant pause, she began to explain. "My 'parents' told me on my birthday that they're not my real parents and now I'm on a search for the truth."

Both Harry and Ron had a frown on their faces. "Who are your real parents then?"

"The Menos."

"OH. I've heard of them" exclaimed Ron. "Mummy told me about them when I was younger. Said they were awfully evil people…"

"You sure you want to find your parents 'Mione? They sound frightening." Exclaimed Harry.

"Yes. I need to know why they left me and also why they didn't show up again when Voldemort came back. I want to know the truth. That's all."

"Then we'll definitely help you Hermione. Definitely."

Hermione beamed at her best friends before telling them about the affinity between the Malfoys and the Menos. If anyone knew where the Menos were, it'd be the Malfoys.

…..

Early the next morning, Hermione set out to find the Malfoys. Thanks to Harry, she had learned of the Malfoy's muggle address. When they asked if Hermione wanted them to come along, she politely refused and promised to relay all information back to them. That seemed to satisfy their thirst for knowledge.

…..

"Ding Dong" Hermione was suddenly very nervous to see her former classmate and his family. How were they like now?

Five minutes passed before the front door swung open to reveal Narcissa Malfoy in pajamas. "What do you want?"

Quite timidly Hermione asked if Draco was home.

"He's not. He's out working somewhere. Would you like me to deliver a message to my son?"

"No no. It's all right. I was hoping to talk to you as well. May I come in?"

"Uh. I guess so. Take off your shoes though. I hate cleaning after people."

Hermione complied and as she took her shoes off she noticed many shoes lying around the door. She shrugged it off though and simply thought that the Malfoys just liked shoes.

Narcissa lead her to the living room of the modest sized home. "How can I help you…miss?"

Hermione wasn't surprised that Narcissa couldn't recognize her. She had altered herself after all.

"…I was wondering if you knew where the Menos lived."

"…Why do you ask about the Menos?" Narcissa narrowed her eyes.

Inside Hermione wanted to scream, "because I'm their daughter you twit!" but on the exterior she simply said, "I'm curious about them."

"Well, I know nothing of their whereabouts. Please leave." Narcissa spoke a bit too fast and Hermione caught on that Mrs. Malfoy was most definitely hiding something. However, she decided not to probe into it today. She got up to leave and thanked Narcissa for her time. Then she headed towards the library for a day of peaceful reading.

Little did she know that her visit at the Malfoy's had not gone unnoticed. There had been someone watching their interaction the entire time…

…..

Hermione was on her way home from the library when she noticed someone following her. She walked faster. The pursuer walked faster as well. She took one look behind her and saw the man had his face covered. She broke into a mad sprint and was almost at her apartment when the follower caught her by the wrist. She was about to pull out her wand and hex the muggle when out of nowhere a furry paw smacked the man in the face.

"Bear!"

The man lunged towards her bear-costumed savior and attempted to punch him but he dodged. This repeated several times before the bear winded back his arm and punched the man in the face. The man fell to the floor unconscious with a tiny puddle of blood.

"Thank you bear" Hermione reached out and hugged the bear tightly. Awkwardly the bear hugged her back and patted her to calm her down.

"It's alright now," a deep voice muttered.

Hermione looked around and saw no one but the bear. Was this the first time the bear spoke? Hermione was so excited she began to bombard the bear with questions.

"Name?"

"Age?"

"Nationality?"

"Weight?"

The bear merely chuckled and turned to leave.

"Wait! Why can't you tell me your name? Do I know you? At least tell me if I know you!" Hermione near shouted.

The bear cast a mysterious glance back at Hermione and whispered, "It's not hard to discern who you are with everything you've told me in the past few days. Yes, you know who I am." Then the bear turned and left without another look back.

Hermione was left dumbstruck and staring after the back of a man in a bear costume. She really was dying to know who it was that had saved her twice already.

However there were even more pressing matters at hand. She needed to find her parents and ask them why she was abandoned. She would go and visit the Malfoys again tomorrow and see if she could find out anything more. It was a Saturday tomorrow after all. Draco would probably be home and Hermione knew that Draco was never a good liar. She was going to get to the bottom of this mystery and soon.

Author's Note: How is the story so far? Should I continue with it? I bet everyone can guess who the bear is by now. Hehe. Read and review please~~3


	4. A kiss

"What are you doing here again?" Narcissa Malfoy bit out.

"I'm here to visit Draco," Hermione lied with a bright smile on.

Looking disbelievingly at Hermione, Narcissa reluctantly moved aside so Hermione could enter.

"Last door on the right is Draco's."

…..

"What do you want Granger?" Draco sneered.

"I just want to talk for a bit."

"I'm not in a talking mood."

"Well, you better be because I'm not leaving until I get some answers." Hermione stubbornly put her hands on her waist.

"I'll hex you and drag your body out."

"I'd like to see you try."

Both parties were reaching for their wands when a thud from the stairs stopped them mid-motion.

They both rushed out to see what had happened and were surprised to see a middle-aged woman lying at the foot of the stairs.

"Oh my. Are you alright?" Hermione went forward to help the lady get up. When she came in contact with the woman though, she felt an electric shock go through her. 'What was that?' she thought.

"I'm quite fine. Just fell down two flights of stairs. Nothing to worry about." Hermione wasn't sure if there was any sarcasm in her voice but she did a wandless healing spell on the lady just to be certain.

"Are you Draco's girlfriend?" the lady asked.

"NO"

"NO"

The lady laughed merrily at the young adults' quick reply.

By this time Hermione was starting to stare at this middle-aged lady. She looked so familiar. Hermione was about to ask the lady her name but Narcissa chose this time to appear at the doorway.

At first she looked in a state of panic but then she simply sighed and asked, "Isn't it about time you leave Ms. Granger?"

"I'd actually like to talk to your son a bit more." With that said she grabbed Draco by the wrist and yanked him back to his room. Closing the door behind her she turned to Draco and demanded, "Spill. All you know about the Menos family."

Draco looked unfazed and grunted, "Don't know them."

"Liar." She remarked.

"Don't call me a liar. Why do you care so much about that damn pureblooded family anyways?" He faltered and tried to cover it up with a "they're in all the dark arts books I've read" but she saw past it.

"You know where they are. I'm sure of it. Tell me."

"I'm telling you I don't Granger! You're annoying the hell out of me in my own bloody house." Draco fumed.

"At least tell me if they're still alive."

Draco paused for a few seconds before ruffling his platinum locks in frustration. "They're alive and somewhere in London. That's all I'm telling you. Now scat."

Hermione grinned and pulled her ex-enemy into a crisp hug before bounding out the door. "Thanks Malfoy."

….

Nothing interesting happened in the following week. Nothing at all. Hermione had never been one to enjoy the summer but this was beyond ridiculous. It was all Voldemort's fault. Who was he to just die and leave Hermione in boredom? Honestly, at least the past summers there had been action and fun. Dangerous fun but fun nonetheless. Hermione missed the good ol' days.

Now every time Hermione visited Ron and Harry they were always going on about Quidditch or playing wizard's chess. Both of which Hermione hardly excelled at. In other words, she felt left out.

The ministry did not accept applications until late August and so work couldn't really distract Hermione either.

She figured it was time to fall in love. That would cure her boredom. She began to formulate a plan. Where do nice guys gather? Library? Nah. Guys there didn't want to be disturbed from their reading. Police station? Guys there were certainly strong enough but she didn't want to lurk around that area. Mcdonalds? Noo. She wasn't into wide people.

Finally she decided to head on over to the mall. She tossed on a white and green striped tank top and a black skirt that reached mid-thigh. Then she applied some light makeup, combed her hair, and headed out the door.

Arriving at the mall, she was shocked to find Bear of all people. He was selling balloons apparently and did not see her until she was right in front of him.

Then there was a distinct pause in his movements as he stared at her. Shaking his head a bit to wake himself up, he handed her a pink balloon.

"Haha. Thanks bear. I feel young again." Hermione smiled at the bear. "Want to roam around the mall with me?"

The bear nodded and together they headed into Hermione's favorite store: Papaya Clothing. After an hour she was holding about seven outfits and headed to the fitting rooms.

"How does this one look bear?" asked Hermione in a light pink summer dress.

Bear gave a thumb up sign and Hermione went back in the room to try on the second outfit.

This one was a red and brown sweater with tight purple pants and immediately after coming out the Bear gave two thumbs down signs, shook his head, and covered his eyes. It was obviously quite hideous.

This cycle repeated until all seven outfits' fates were decided.

In the end Hermione only got two outfits.

They moved on to the mini arcade in the mall where they decided on a game of air hockey.

"Ok bear. Let's add some stakes to this game. Loser has to….kiss someone in this arcade!"

The bear looked nervous but nodded anyways. He wasn't going to let her know he'd never played such muggle games before. That would tell her too much.

"Ready, set, go!" and the game started. The puck went left and right and bounced off the side walls furiously. Hermione defended her goal amazingly well and the bear's powerful shots were deflected again and again.

Thirty minutes later the score was 6-5. One more point for Hermione and she would win. The bear tried even harder and soon the score was 6-6. The puck was moving at an incredible pace and then the bear screwed up badly. Real badly. He knocked the puck into his own goal by accident.

"Ha! I win" Hermione exclaimed. She beamed at the bear and tilted her head as if to say "Go on and do your end of the stake."

The bear looked around left and right. Then he looked past Hermione and began to walk in that direction. Hermione turned around to see who the bear was looking at and saw nothing but a wall. Puzzled, she turned around to look at the bear again and was surprised to find he was two inches away from her.

"…Bear?"

….

Two hours later Hermione was still complaining and occasionally smacking the bear on the head. "Yuck man! I still have bear hair on my mouth. You're gross bear. Finding loopholes is dirty!"

Bear calmly replied in a smooth voice, "it's not a loophole. You never said it couldn't be you."

Once again Hermione was shocked that the bear had spoken. He rarely spoke. She noticed that she liked his voice very much. It was soothing to hear.

"Bear. You're never going to tell me who you are, are you?"

"Nope. Not a chance."

Hermione could imagine the little smirk he wore beneath his costume and she scowled.

"You know who I am. It's only fair you let me in on who you are."

"Life's not fair. Get used to it."

"Hmph," Hermione said as she grabbed her bags and turned to go home.

"It was nice hanging with you bear but one day I'm going to find out just who you are."

…

That night Hermione was preparing to go to bed and kicking herself for forgetting what she went to the mall for, when an owl ran into her window.

She let the poor thing in and took the letter from its legs.

It was a short letter with five little words and it was unsigned.

_I still love you Hermione._

Author's note: Hope you guys like my story so far and please review! I love suggestions and I'll send cyber cookies to people who give me feedback. Like for example, should Malfoy and Granger have an arranged marriage? =o review review!~


	5. Chili sauce

Hermione wondered who…

She was deep in thought when another owl came banging into her closed window.

This owl's letter was written in the same elegant handwriting and it said:

_Tomorrow. Olive Garden Restaurant. 6pm. Wear the necklace._

Hermione's eyes widened. This was the guy who had sent her the necklace on her birthday! She had been itching to find out who it was and now she was being given a chance.

There was no way in hell she was going to miss this date.

…

She decided to invite Ginny over to help her get ready for her big date. Ron had been pissed off when he heard Hermione was going on a date but he could do nothing to stop her. They had broken up quite a while ago and were just friends now.

Ginny was a genius when it came to fashion and style. Before Hermione knew what was going on, she was dressed, made up, and ready to head out to her mystery date.

"Oh. You look absolutely stunning. I hope you have the best date ever," Ginny exclaimed.

Hermione looked down at herself and saw that she was wearing the light pink dress the bear and her had picked out and she was also wearing a white cardigan over the dress. She was wearing silver heels and her heart necklace. Without further ado she thanked Ginny, gave a wave, and left the apartment.

Not in the mood to walk two miles in heels, she instead chose to apparate to an alley beside Olive Garden Restaurant.

Suddenly very anxious of what was to come, Hermione took a few deep breathes to calm herself. 'I can do this. I can do this."

She slowly walked into the restaurant and was surprised to see nobody there at all, not one customer.

She was about to turn around and leave when a waitress came by and said, "Ms. Granger?"

"Yes. That's me."

"Your partner is waiting for you at table 7." The waitress gestured towards the back of the restaurant where a man was sitting with his back to them.

Hermione made her way over to the man cautiously. As she neared him he stood up to pull her chair back for her and Hermione gasped.

"Viktor?"

"It's been a long time Hermione. Much too long." Viktor replied back.

"Yes it has. What have you been up to?"

"Just lots of quidditch. My country needs me. How about you Hermione? How do you do?"

Hermione decided to stay quiet about her parents and decided to go with a mysterious shrug.

"Nothing much. Just the usuals."

The waitress came by and took their orders. Both decided to have a classic spaghetti and salad.

"I've missed you Hermione. Very much." Viktor looked very lonely as he said this and Hermione couldn't help but take his hands and give them a light squeeze.

"I've missed you too. It's such a pity we didn't keep in touch after you returned to Durmstrang."

"Well, I have decided to stay in London for a while. At least until I acquire something extremely important."

Hermione quirked an eyebrow but did not comment.

"Are you seeing anyone right now Hermione?"

'Way to cut to the point,' thought Hermione.

"No, I don't believe so."

"Will you return to my side?"

A bear claw dropped a plate of spaghetti in front of Viktor. "Your food is ready," growled a familiar voice.

"Here. Allow me to add the chili sauce for you." With that said, about a quarter of the bottle was poured onto Viktor's plate.

The bear then handed Hermione her plate of spaghetti and left.

Hermione was stunned. Why was bear everywhere and what was he pmsing about?

"I'm sorry. What did you say Viktor?"

"It's nothing. Let us eat for now," said Viktor as he dug into his extremely spicy spaghetti without another word.

"Mk."

With that, dinner passed by rather quickly and soon they were outside of the restaurant. Viktor offered Hermione a ride home but she politely declined, saying she had some business to take care of around the area.

…

"Psst."

"Psst! Bear."

Hermione had sneaked back into the restaurant and was poking her head into the kitchen looking for bear when a waitress came by and told her Bear had left about two minutes ago.

With a brief thanks Hermione dashed out the door and looked around the streets for bear.

A couple minutes of wandering later she saw the fuzzy thing about fifty yards ahead of her.

"BEAR!"

The bear looked behind him and then turned and ran the opposite direction. He thought Hermione was going to murder him for the chili sauce stunt he pulled. It was kind of hard to run in a ten pound costume though and Hermione eventually caught up with him.

"Why did you run?" Hermione asked. "It's not like I'm going to hunt you down and yank off her wanker for what you did to Viktor…"

The bear looked scared for a second.

"Just tell me, why are you everywhere? Why work so many jobs anyways."

The bear rolled his eyes but Hermione didn't see because of the costume he was wearing.

"Well, can't bloody use galleons here in London now can we?"

Hermione looked up. "You're a wizard? Why didn't you say so?"

"Gee. I tell every other person on the street that I'm a wizard. Blimey. Use your head Granger."

'That sounds so familiar. This taunting voice… I know I've heard it somewhere before,' Hermione thought.

"… you tell him?"

"What did you say?" Hermione snapped out of her thoughts.

"I said, what did you tell him?"

"I told him a lot of things. What are you asking bear?"

"Gosh darnit. Are you going out with Krum now?"

Realization finally dawned on Hermione. "No, I didn't give him a reply yet."

The bear seemed visibly less tense and replied, "Good. Don't go out with that douche."

"What? Don't tell me you're jealous bear."

"You're funny."

"Why thank you. I appreciate every bit of your sarcasm."

"You're welcome. I do try."

They continued to bicker and before they knew it they had arrived at Hermione's apartment.

"Not going to invite me in for tea I suppose?"

"Can you even drink tea with that big bear head of yours?"

"Of course I can. There's a flap for the mouth smart one," and with that he showed Hermione the little flap in his giant bear head.

"I suppose you can come in for tea if you really want. I mean, I have pepper spray if I should need it."

"Pepper spray. What's that?" bear asked.

"Oh never you mind. It's a muggle thing."

"Ah. Well, lead the way."

…..

Two hours of tea and chatting later, they were slumped on the couch watching some T.V.

'Mm. It feels nice to have a friend who's not obsessed with Quidditch and Wizard's chess. Bear almost feels like a gal-pal in a way. Can't let him know and bruise his ego though.' Hermione gave a small laugh.

This caught the bear's attention and he lazily drawed out, "What's so funny? We're watching a horror movie you know?"

Deciding to just follow along Hermione said in a serious tone, "The head exploding makes me laugh every time."

"Gross Granger! You're worse than Crabbe!"

"Crabbe? You know Crabbe?"

"Uh. I said 'You're worse than crap.' What's wrong with your hearing Granger?"

"Who compares people to crap? That's god awful!" Hermione said though inside she swore she had heard him say "Crabbe."

"Just watch the movie Granger." With that, they turned their attention back to the screen.

…..

Sometime during the night they both fell asleep on the couch. It was a funny sight, seeing Hermione's feet about two inches from the bear's nose. Eventually Hermione got up first and began to prepare breakfast.

"Bear, wake up. Eat and then you have to go. Your parents will worry about you."

"Ughgh. Gimme thirty more minutes of sleep. It's only six."

"It's twelve Bear and if you keep sleeping with your arm twisted that way it might become permanent."

With that the bear sprung up and wolfed down six pancakes before leaving out the door. "Good pancakes. Cya."

"Wait bear. The price for those pancakes is telling me your name. Now do tell." Hermione said smugly.

"This again. Why won't you give it up? I'm not telling you my name. You wouldn't want to know anyways."

"Why is that? Do you have a really hideous name? Is it Fagahoe? Pisonface? Shagacup?

The bear stood there dumbstruck. "I assure you my name has nothing to do with shagging cups. I have a perfectly wonderful name. You just can't know it. Good bye."

"Oh come on. What's so bad about letting an innocent girl like me know your name? I'm not going to go stalk your bear highness. Jeez." Hermione made a move to close the door on him but before it was fully closed, he said,

"Fine. I'll tell you my name."

…..

Author's Note: Read and Review3 I wonder who the bear is! & Will Hermione find her parents anytime soon? To be continued…


	6. Reunited

"Really?" Hermione grinned.

"Just kidding. You totally fell for it," and with that said he turned and walked away.

"Stupid bear," Hermione muttered.

…..

Hermione paced around her room. She was absolutely restless. What could she do to find her parents? London was huge. There was no way she could just knock on every door and find them.

She couldn't use a locating spell either unless she had something that belonged to them. Hermione wracked her brain trying to think of a way.

If only Malfoy was more cooperative. Maybe it was time to resort to blackmail. 'Oh what fun this is going to be…"

…

Ten minutes later she was dressed and ready to go.

She chose to apparate directly into his room this time to avoid a confrontation with Narcissa Malfoy.

She was met with quite a delicious sight though she wouldn't be caught dead admitting it.

Draco was shirtless and in the process of putting on some pants. His chest was chiseled and he had godly abs. When he saw Hermione he dropped his pants out of shock.

"You!"

Hermione blushed a bit before turning her back to him, letting him dress in peace.

…

Even after he finished changing he was still grumbling on and on about closet perverts.

"What do you want now Granger?"

"I'm here to form an agreement with you." Hermione had a wicked look on her face. "Remember that E you received on an arithmancy test last year? How would mummy dearest like to know that her son isn't all that perfect?"

Draco's eyes grew bigger. He could see where this was going.

"I'm not telling you where the Menos live. Give it up Granger."

"What about if I let everyone know you kissed Goyle on the lips before and that you might be bisexual?"

"I was under a spell at the time! That's not fair."

"Well too bad. Only way to stop me is to tell me where the Menos live."

"All of that is not enough to convince me. I swore not to say a thing."

"You know what I heard from Padma the other day? She said that Daphne told her you are really bad in bed."

"NOW THAT'S JUST NOT TRUE."

"Well, who's everyone going to believe when I tell them the news? The smartest witch of the century or a slimy git like you?"

"Argh. You're being unreasonable Granger."

"I know I am. Now care to share what you know?"

…..

Hermione climbed the stairs two at a time. She was nervous beyond belief but this was something she had to do.

-knock knock-

"Who's there?" came a lady's voice.

"My name's Hermione. There's something I'd like to speak to you about."

A slight pause later locks were turned and the door swung open.

Hermione stared. It was the lady who had fallen down the stairs the other day.

"How may I help you?"

"May I come in?"

"Oh I suppose so. Come on in."

'Was this lady really a dedicated supporter of Voldemort 18 years ago? She doesn't seem like she could hurt a fly.'

"I just wanted to know why." Hermione whispered.

"Why what dear?" Mrs. Menos began to pour some tea for Hermione.

"Why did you leave me 18 years ago?"

The teapot fell to the floor with a loud crash. Hermione quickly did a clean-up spell and then continued to stare at the woman before her.

"I'm sorry," was all that the lady said for a long time.

"Why did you do it then?"

"Our powers were locked away after Voldemort disappeared. We were powerless to protect ourselves let alone a newborn baby. It wasn't our intention to abandon you but there just wasn't anything we could do. To this day our powers are still locked away and we have no choice but to seek refuge in the Malfoy's residence."

"Wait. Your wizarding powers are locked? How does that work?"

"Because we were so very close to He-who-must-not-be-mentioned, it is possible that our powers are intertwined with his. As he met his downfall, so too did our powers. It has been quite humiliating for us and so we have chosen not to allow others to know of this. It is commonly thought that the powerful Menos family has met its end but now I see that is not true. We still have you to carry on the legacy. Thank you for finding me Hermione."

"You can thank Malfoy for telling me where you reside."

"The Malfoy boy? Ah yes, quite a brilliant wizard. Are you sure you're not dating him?"

"Quite sure."

"Such a pity. Perhaps something can be arranged…" Mrs. Menos had a wicked look on her face.

Deciding to change the topic Hermione asked politely, "Where is Mr. Menos?"

"Oh, he's off working of course. Although the Malfoys are our friends we still need to pay rent."

"When will he be around?"

"He's home on the weekends."

"Ah. Well, I'll be taking my leave now. I'll visit again when Mr. Menos is around. It was nice meeting you."

"Come now. I'll walk you down."

Narcissa was in the living room when the two walked down and she nearly jumped two feet in the air.

"How did you get in this house?"

"Um. I apparated?"

"It's quite alright Narcissa. Allow me to introduce my daughter to you. This is Hermione Menos. Narcissa, Hermione here was just visiting me."

Narcissa sputtered, "Wha.. what is this? Your daughter you say?"

Mrs. Menos chuckled. "Allow me to explain. Hermione, you may be on your way. I'll fill Narcissa in. Do come by to visit often though."

…..

That night in the Malfoy residence there were excited whispers of Purebloods, merging, and little wee lads. There was definitely something going on in the minds of the women in the house. Something not quite right.

…..

Hermione plopped down on her bed. She was exhausted and yet very content. She had finally met her real mother and nothing had gone wrong. Now she just had to meet Mr. Menos.

…..

She awoke the next morning and decided to go for a morning jog around the block. Throwing on some loose clothing she dashed out the door.

Making her way around the park she watched the children play on the slides and adults looking proud and the birds flying around and the bear climbing the tree…

Wait. Bear climbing the tree?

"Bear! What are you doing?" she shouted.

She got an answer a minute later when bear came down with a football in his hands.

"Thanks!" said a boy next to the tree before he ran back to playing with his friends.

"Bear, what are you up to now?"

"mm. Nothing much. You?"

"I'm on a jog. Care to join?"

"Sure, nothing better to do today. I hate Saturdays"

They ran around the park six times before Hermione decided to call it quit. During the run she had remembered that today was the day she'd meet her father. She jumped around excitedly and bear smacked her on the head.

"Stop hopping like a foo'"

"Gee bear. At least I'm not the one walking around 24/7 in a full bear costume. That's gotta be embarrassing. How do you even take a dump?"

"I have my ways ok? Don't you worry about my bowel movements."

"Fine. I need to go somewhere now though. I'll cya around bear."

"Laters."

…..

Hermione had just reached the front door of the Malfoy residence when Mrs. Menos popped out and exclaimed, "You're getting married in two weeks Sweetie!"

…..

Author's note: Thanks to Jen and Alililili for the reviews. I appreciate it!33


	7. The Nile

Author's note: Special thanks to x-hermalfoy for being awesome and reviewing. Lol Pedo bear. I'm trying to write 1-2 chapters a day until Winter break is over. Of course, reviews make me happy and happy means faster uploads. =D

….

"Ahaha. To who? Professor Snape?" Hermione joked.

Nobody laughed.

"To Draco of course. This marriage would be the highlight of the century and it would link two powerful pureblood families together. Oh the mere thought makes me burn with excitement."

"If you're so excited Mrs. Menos, why don't you marry the git yourself?" Hermione said with clenched teeth.

"Well I would but I'm rather old now. Such a pity."

Hermione looked appalled at her mother and turned to look at Narcissa instead. "Aren't you against this at least?"

"Not at all. I mean, I'm pureblooded and you're pureblooded. What's there to dislike? Plus, I adore your mother so very much. It'd be great to become in-laws." Narcissa smiled at the idea.

"Well, the ferret would never agree anyways. So pop that crazy thought bubble."

"Agree to what?" came a masculine voice from the back. Draco had just come out of his room when he heard ferret. He had every intention to throttle Granger but there would be a time for that later. For now, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Agree to what," he repeated.

"Oh pumpkin. You don't need to worry about a thing. We'll take care of everything. Just wear something decent on the Saturday two weeks from now. We wouldn't want to see you get married in boxers now would we?"

Draco looked down and saw he was indeed in light green boxers. But wait. WHAT?

"I'm getting married in two weeks? No bleeding way!"

"Yes bleeding way. You're getting married to Hermione."

….

"Bear. It's not fair. I don't want to marry that stupid jerk." Hermione complained as she sipped on her strawberry smoothie. They were at a small café near Malfoy's residence.

"He's not stupid," bear muttered.

"What was that?" asked Hermione.

"Nothing."

"I mean, I'd rather marry you and I don't even know who you are." Hermione exclaimed. "At least I'm comfortable around you."

"You know what bear? I never thought I'd end up marrying someone I didn't love. Life is so surprising sometimes."

The bear patted her back comfortingly.

"Maybe you'll end up liking him with time," said the bear.

"Right. As soon as Hagrid wears a mini skirt." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'd prefer not to think about that Granger. It's unpleasant imagery."

"You're welcome bear." "OH. And what should I do about Viktor? He probably expects me to call or something."

"Just forget that dumbass. You can do better than him," the bear replied.

"You're getting jealous over Viktor again aren't you? Tell me the truth bear. You like me don't you?" Hermione elbowed bear in the side playfully.

"No way." Bear folded his arms over his chest.

"Are we in Egypt bear?"

The bear sputtered and half-shouted, "No I'm not swimming in The Nile."

Hermione laughed. "Aww you knew what I was going to say. That's no fun. But honestly, you sure you're not in denial?" Hermione asked with a slight glimmer of hope in her voice.

"Why? Do you wish I was?"

"No way." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.

"Now who's swimming in The Nile?" Bear mocked.

Hermione scoffed but didn't say anything. She simply stared at a spot behind Bear where Ginny and Harry were making their way over.

"Harry, Ginny. What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

"We thought we'd try a date in the muggle word for once," beamed Ginny.

"Ya. We wanted to try the soufflé this café is famous for too," said Harry.

"But enough about us. Who's this Hermione?" Harry inquired.

"Um. Harry, Ginny, this is…Bear. Bear, this is Harry and Ginny."

"Wow Hermione. Dating a bear now eh?" Harry joked.

Hermione reddened and quickly said they were just friends.

Ginny and Harry shared a look before deciding to grab a table of their own.

"We'll see you around Hermione… and bear." Ginny gave Hermione a wink which caused the latter to flush some more.

"So Granger. When did you start digging me eh?"

"I'm not! Shut your holes!" and with that she left the café leaving behind a thoughtful bear.

"Holes…?"

…..

'What's wrong with me? Why am I so flustered?' thought Hermione.

'I can't possibly like bear. I mean, I've never even seen his face before. He has a nice voice but he could very well be a troll underneath!'

'Plus, I'm getting married in two weeks... I can't like bear. I just can't…'

…

The following day was spent shopping with her mother for a wedding dress. Why Draco had to tag along was a mystery.

After going through about twenty dresses Mrs. Menos shouted "That's the one Hermione!"

Sure enough it was gorgeous. The dress was white with a slight tinge of lavender if you looked at it from a certain direction. It was off the shoulder and the tail flowed about three feet behind her. The dress itself clung to every curve like a glove and there were intricate patterns all along the dress.

Even Draco had to pause in his yawning to take a closer look.

"You look…different," was the only half-compliment he was willing to disclose.

They bought the dress and went back to the Malfoy residence. Once there, Mrs. Menos said, "Oh right. It's about time you met your father."

"Lexe. Get your arse down here."

Two minutes later an elegant-looking man in his forties came down the flight of stairs and paused to take a good look at Hermione.

"She looks just like you did when you were younger Rebella," he told his wife. "Absolutely wonderful," and they shared a kiss in front of the kids.

"Old man. Do that somewhere else would ya?" hollered Draco.

"We'll be telling you that soon enough" chuckled Lexe.

"Ugh. I'm leaving," said Malfoy as he turned to leave.

"Me too. I can't stand the sight of seeing parents snog. Gross."

As the two walked out they could hear their parents going on about them being "more alike than they thought."

….

They walked in silence for the most part though there was the occasional insult here and there.

"Why are you following me Granger," Draco demanded.

"Don't be conceited. My house is this way," muttered Hermione.

"Whatever. You're following me because you can't resist me can you?"

"As if! You're the one who didn't object when our parents told you who you were marrying!" shouted Hermione.

"I was just too shocked to speak alright?"

"No. More like all your dreams of wrecking my life has come true."

"You think I want to marry your know-it-all highness? We're in this predicament because you kept pestering me to tell you where your parents are. You should never have come to bugger me in the first place. Then none of this would be happening. Don't flatter yourself with the idea that I want you. It's near impossible even if you are pureblooded now."

"I don't want to hear this coming from a jerk like you. Why don't you tell our parents instead?"

Draco took several deep breaths to calm himself. "You think they'll listen to me? Once my mother is set on something she never turns back. You're stuck with me Granger, whether you like it or not."

With that, he turned left and walked away. Hermione was left to think.

….

The following day brought curious news. On the front page of the _Daily Prophet_ there was the bold title "Famous Bulgarian quidditch player Viktor Krum confesses that he is dating War Heroine Hermione Granger." There were even pictures of them at Olive Garden Restaurant chatting happily.

…

Read&Review~~~


	8. Bowling

The first thought that coursed through Hermione's head was that she had to stop the Malfoys and Menos from seeing this article.

Without another thought Hermione apparated in front of the Malfoy Residence.

'Thank God. The papers are still outside.'

She saw Narcissa coming out and quickly Hermione muttered _Inferno_ at the offending papers. The ends of the flame nearly caught on Narcissa's robes and she gave a yelp before heading to her car then driving off.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. However it was short-lived.

Soon she saw about ten owls heading her way. Each dropped a squeaking peony on her before flying off and the squeaking peonies all squeaked "I love you. I love you. I love you."

Then a bigger object came flying her way and before she knew it she was being enveloped in a bone-crushing hug. "I missed you Hermione. Had to come see you." Viktor smiled toothily.

"Viktor. The Daily Prophet. We're not dating are we?" Hermione asked bewildered.

"Well, they came to interview me and I just had to say what I felt."

"But I never agreed to it…"

"It's ok honey. You don't need to hide your feelings for me." Viktor gave her a light peck on the lips.

"Viktor. You don't understand. I'm getting mar…" she trailed off as she saw Draco glaring at them from his window.

'Shiet. I forgot where I was. I hope he didn't hear anything." Hermione panicked.

"Listen sugar babe. I need to go back to Bulgaria for a mandatory quidditch practice. I'll be back by this evening. What do you say we go somewhere together later?"

Hermione browsed her mind quickly for an excuse of some sort, "Um. I have plans with Harry and Ron this evening. Sorry Viktor."

"It's alright. I can join you guys no?" Viktor grinned before waving goodbye and apparating off somewhere.

* * *

That night brought the four witches and wizards to a muggle bowling center. They decided the pairing should be Harry and Ron versus Hermione and Viktor because both Ron and Viktor had never bowled before.

After explaining that you score points by knocking down as many pins as possible, the four entered the center.

"How many and what shoe sizes?"said an all too familiar voice. Hermione wasn't surprised to see Bear anymore. She had surrendered to the fact that he simply worked EVERYWHERE. It was impossible to go two days without seeing Bear.

"A women's seven, two men's nine, and one men's ten." Hermione said.

Also buying a large popcorn and some nachos, they headed to lane 17.

Bear's eyes followed Viktor for a while before he returned to serving the customers.

After the initial few moments of awkwardness, both Harry and Ron had warmed up to Viktor and were happily chatting to him about Quidditch. They listened in awe at his stories between their turns and even seemed more interested in him than the actual game.

Hermione became quite frustrated at being ignored but this went unnoticed by all three men. Excusing herself for the lady's room, she walked over to the counter where Bear was.

"Hey Bear, what time do you get off today?"

"In about ten minutes. Why? You want to challenge me to a game?" The Bear smirked beneath his bear costume.

"Sure. Why not? My friends are so into Viktor that they wouldn't even notice me gone."

"You don't sound too excited about him. Thought you guys were going out…"

"Not true. Where did you hear such a thing?" Hermione exclaimed.

Bear pointed at a stack of Daily Prophets beside the counter.

"Bear, I swear it's not true. I don't like him like that anymore. Even though the necklace he gave me is gorgeous and he's a wonderfully romantic fellow, I just don't see him like that. So don't misunderstand, you got that bear?" Hermione spoke all of this really fast as though it was imperative the bear understood her.

"Got it. Got it. Chill Granger." Glancing at the clock, he said, "I'm off work now so let's go get our game started."

"You know we have to place another stake on this game right?"

The bear growled but agreed nonetheless. "What is it this time?"

"Loser has to treat the winner to chocolate ice cream after the game!" Hermione said with glee.

"Why chocolate? Mint is better." Bear said this matter-of-factly.

"Fine. Loser treats the winner to ice cream of any flavor."

"Deal."

The game began and the bear continued to bowl strike after strike. He was unstoppable and Hermione had to admit he was beyond good. The end score was 300-240. Bear won and he demanded his mint ice cream.

* * *

After the bear had been satisfied with ice cream, they bid each other goodnight and began to walk in opposite directions when Hermione thought of something…something rather intelligent.

She decided she would follow bear home and figure out his identity once and for all!

Sneaking behind him stealthily and slowly, they walked on for about ten minutes before arriving at a rather familiar-looking house. It was dark though and Hermione couldn't see it too clearly.

The bear entered the house and Hermione paused for a second, unsure of what to do.

Then Hermione casted a floating spell on herself and floated to the nearest window. There was no one inside. She floated herself to the window on the right side and stopped. There he was!

Slowly she lowered herself onto a tree branch by the window and waited. Minutes passed by and Hermione was close to falling asleep on the tree when finally the bear moved from his spot on the bed.

He unzipped the back of his bear costume and freed his chest and legs from the confines of the outfit.

Hermione could feel her breathing hitch. That chest and those abs…. It couldn't be. She watched in horror as the bear plucked off his head and revealed who he was.

To be continued…

* * *

**Author's note: **

**Here I have a dilemma and I'm bringing it up to you readers out there. Please vote on this.**

**Should I:**

**a) Finish this story off in 1-2 chapters. (I hate to feel like I'm dragging a cow.)**

**b) Introduce a new twist and continue the story till there are 15 chapters.**

**Once again thank you guys for reading my story. =D**


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